The Danger of Works

 PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29

Small Group Resources

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

Joyful Good Works

by Elaine Pierce

How do you know when you've done enough to earn a spot in heaven? Trick question, right? You can never do enough! Most of us who have been Christians for a while and who have been to UALC and heard more than one or two sermons from our pastors will know this to be true. It's not Jesus plus anything, is it? We confess our sins, ask Jesus into our hearts, and we are assured of eternal life. Ah, but why is it so hard to live this out in our lives? Why is it a daily battle to live for Christ and not for our own desires?

The Galatian Church had problems, to put it mildly. They were reluctant to fully embrace gentile Christians, so they were setting up rules for them to follow: Just become like us, and follow all the Jewish customs, and we will allow you to become fully Christians. How hard it was for them to give up centuries of rules and regulations that had helped them maintain their unique Jewish identity. Yes, they had strayed many times, but God always welcomed them back. They were the chosen people.

Paul reminds us that, while the Jews have always been God's chosen people, it is not because of anything special they have done to earn that title. Look at what he says in verses 6-9:

Consider Abraham: He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

No one is stamping their eternal life ticket with a resume of good works. No one. Not the most righteous Jew like Paul, who was 'extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.' Not the best pastor on the planet. Not the most devout missionary who prays hours each day and does countless more hours of good works.

Not you. Not me. If we could, then why did Jesus have to die for us? Our good works are a response to what he did for us on the cross. Galatians 3:28 says it well:

There is either Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, that you died for me. As a Gentile, I am grafted onto the tree of life, and I am part of the family of faith. Help me this week to give each day to you, and to joyfully serve you. Help me seize the opportunity for good works as an expression of gratitude for all you have done for me.